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Report: LeBron may skip Rio Olympics due to Kobe's absence

Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James has a deep and abiding admiration for Kobe Bryant. So much so, it turns out, he reportedly may skip out on this summer's Olympics because Bryant won't be there.

With the retiring Bryant taking a pass on a potential Team USA roster spot for the Rio Games, James may also remove himself from consideration, league sources told Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding:

James is that disappointed the Rio Olympics will not serve as the final, ultimate celebration of Bryant's career - and more so that James won't have the priceless honor of being Bryant's co-star teammate when it ends.

Bryant played in Cleveland for the final time in his career Wednesday night, and left James with a pair of signed shoes as a souvenir. The two were Olympic teammates in 2008 and 2012, winning the gold medal both times.

"We talk on the phone probably more than people know," Bryant told Ding. "We talk about the game. We talk about different strategies that center around the game. We talk about things off the court: business-related, players association-related."

Said James, who is six years Bryant's junior: "He looks at me like his younger brother, for sure. And that's pretty cool."

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